Golf Science – Our PGA Friends to the North
The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of any country is its national body for training golf teachers, coaches and business managers, as well as others involved in the business of golf. The PGA of America is the largest such organization in the world, with a membership of 30,000. The PGA of Great Britain and Ireland has 7,500. Other countries that have well-respected PGAs include Australia (with about 2,600 members) and Sweden (1,100 members). While all of the above have male and female members, the Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (USA) boasts a female-only membership of 1,800.
One other similar organization is the PGA of Canada, which is the second-oldest and third-largest (with 4,000 members) in the world. Its male and female members help to run the business of golf in Canada. It is interesting to learn more about this organization in a neighboring country to see how it might be similar to, and different from, the USA’s two behemoth organizations, as it, too, helps to grow the game of golf.
The PGA of America has two main pathways to membership, and each one takes several years to complete and ensures that every member has a great deal of experience. The LPGA, too, has extensive requirements for a golfer to become a Class A Professional. The PGA of Canada, five years older than its large neighbor, has a PGA training academy and also offers workshops, seminars and training programs to enhance learning for its members.
Who better to acquire more information about the PGAC from than its current President, Scott Kolb. He has served in the organization for many years, first on the regional zone board, then on the National Board for eight years, moving through the ranks until he says he was “Honored to be introduced as President this past April. I never dreamed of this position growing up as a kid, but can tell you I proudly wear my PGA of Canada logo whenever I can.” Kolb has even founded the Fresh Golf Solutions company to help golf professionals acquire suitable jobs in the industry.
When asked about the educational opportunities offered by the PGA of Canada, Kolb said, “As one of our foundations of membership, we offer extensive training programs and work with the national coaching certification program.” Their website indicates that a golfer can choose a specific pathway within golf and then acquire specialized training in that field.
What kind of coaching or instructing does a person wish to pursue (introduce fundamentals, competitive, or help people wanting quality instruction) and what kind of athletes do they wish to work with, are the two main questions a potential member must be able to answer, before taking courses for that specific role.
Does the PGAC ever compare its offerings to that of other organizations? Kolb responds, “Instead of thinking of other associations as competition, we work hard to learn from each other. One main difference of our education is that we moved to a mostly online training program for many of our education courses. While the majority of our golf instruction programs are hands on, learning about how to run a business, tournaments and other important educational options are through our Titleist Training Academy. Our nine zones across the country also offer excellent seminars and additional educational opportunities, but that is something that PGA of America sections also do well.”
He adds, “Not only does the PGA of Canada have strong education programming and some great instructors teaching those programs, our zones also hire the best instructors for regional seminars. To me, the best teachers are the ones that are open to learning. If a pro thinks they know it all, then they will eventually be a disservice to their students. How we were taught, how we trained, and how we practiced 20 years ago is nothing like it is today. There were no simulators giving you instant data feedback, you were lucky if you used video and, hopefully, you had the right camera angles to be helpful.
“Today, the use of technology is a great help. It still requires a way to communicate this information and also address how to set realistic goals for a student. That human element will be hard to replicate as AI becomes a bit of a threat to our profession.”
So, it is quite apparent that every PGA around the world works very hard to deliver the best possible education to its members. Could the education of golf teachers and even golf fitness coaches be improved, as it so directly affects how many people are retained by the golf industry and how many elite golfers are produced? Yes. It can best be achieved through evidence-based education. Not education that has been developed by golf-technology manufacturers or private companies or established coaches. While the current “fashion” is for golf instructors to acquire certifications from a variety of sources, including their national PGA, there is a great shortfall in knowledge that a golf instructor must have in order to truly help a human attempting to play or improve their golf.
What does that mean? There needs to be an in-depth education in the design of the human body (anatomy), how the brain controls movement (motor control) and how forces are used to create movement (biomechanics). This should not be merely theoretical learning but should include a component of practical experience in those fields, so that golf instructors not only understand the main movement sciences but can actively apply them to improve the games of their students. Golf instructor education will always be incomplete as long as instructors struggle to use a bit of science, but then fill in the gaps in knowledge with traditional folklore-type information.
So, PGAs of the world, you need to advance your educational offerings to higher levels so that YouTube videos by amateurs and the fast-advancing Artificial Intelligence do not erode an honorable profession.